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School pride is a common theme among campuses across the globe. It is not uncommon to see students beaming with pride while wearing university jackets, shirts, bags, and the like. Some would even use notebooks, pens, and tumblers adorned with the school logo and battle cry.

This culture is one of those things that give color to university life. While common U-stuff have carried on for years, recent times saw the addition of lanyards to complete a student’s campus ensemble.

School pride is often put on display by showing one’s affiliation to an institution through lanyards. It is hard to unsee the name of an institution while walking in a place frequented by students. But what’s really amusing is the fact that these lanyards would display the same name of the school with its logo and yet students get hooked with collecting and using different designs from time to time.

It’s easy to fall in love with these neck lanyards as they provide a fun way for students to keep their identification cards from getting lost. The wide array of designs and colors makes lanyards an easy choice as a campus accessory.

Since official school apparel seems awkward to wear at times, lanyards serve as a subtler option. These don’t even get in the way of fashion if shirts are not one’s thing. One simply wears a color corresponding to that of the institution’s and voila, the message of affiliation gets across.

The variety of designs also allows one to pick a lanyard that would show-off an advocacy, a recent boyband fad, being a crazy cat lady, and many other stuff. It cements the image one wants to portray in campus. The way neck lanyards are customized also ensure that students are able to find something that would suit their style.

In many cases, students show off their pride in being core members and organizers of a much talked about university gathering, education forum or cause, and lanyards are proof of this involvement. As a student graduates from university, the collection of lanyards prove the work one has done. It mirrors how life was spent in campus. Group of friends would share the same lanyards for campus activities they participated in, together.

However, as popular as lanyards can be in campus, the cliché about who wears which identifies lanyards as more of a freshman thing more than anything else. Campus culture dictates that if you want to be identified as a freshman, hang that university lanyard across your neck and walk around campus. This scene won’t escape the eyes of upperclassmen who are always on the lookout for them freshmen.

At the other end of the spectrum, neck lanyards bearing organization insignia are a pretty common sight among a select population. These are normally worn by students who see this as a badge of honor for being affiliated with honors societies and fraternities – the select few who receive the lanyard as a reward, rather than a commodity.

As lanyards prove to be effective tools to identify affiliation with different institutions, the behavior by which students, and people in general, who wear these lanyards are a point of debate. It is easy to taint the image of an institution by wearing a lanyard and misbehaving in public. But the real issue is whether the observation may be deemed conclusive, knowing how easy it is to own or even have a personalized lanyard made.

For whatever reasons though, lanyards still occupy a big part of a student’s campus survival kit. The quirkiness that comes with utility makes lanyards attractive to the younger generation’s taste. The hype on neck lanyards in schools don’t show signs of slowing down anytime soon. Administrators are also pitching in as uniform neck lanyards for school personnel are seen to improve security. It also makes point persons easier to identify during campus gatherings and events.

Worn, hung or kept as memento, it is undeniable that every person who went through the halls of an institution had their hands on lanyards bearing campus pride.

Patching clothes, whether for design or instant fix, is now easy with the availability of iron on patches. Despite the convenience, knowing important points that guarantee stronger adhesive bond and proper application will make these patches stay longer on clothes while ensuring protection.

Pre-wash Cloth Before Application

It’s important to pre-wash clothes, particularly the new ones, if their texture is too stiff. Stiff fabrics have sizing, a stiffing component used on clothes that gets in the way of melting the adhesive to the fabric directly. Pre-washing will deal with sizing and ensure the glue will stick directly on the fabric. Hence, increasing bond strength that makes the patch last longer.

Do Away with Fabric Softeners

Fabric softeners offer numerous benefits, but they will only get in the way of placing iron on patches. This component prevents the glue from sticking properly. Even if you pre-wash your clothes to keep sizing from interfering with adhesion, be sure to don’t use fabric softener for now. Use fabric softener in washing your clothes once the patch is already in place and fully dried.

Use Appropriate Heat for Specific Fabric Types

Patches may have virtually the same heat-activated adhesive, but the fabrics where they will be placed have different properties. Therefore, specific heat temperature should be used in pressing the patches. For instance, fabrics like rayon are more delicate, which requires lower heat setting when pressing. Since the temperature is set lower, users must press the iron for a longer time to ensure the glue will melt properly.

Know the Right Fabric

An iron on patch can’t be used for just any fabric. They will stick effectively on denim fabric, rayon, and cotton. Nevertheless, these patches are not recommended for clothes made from leather, nylon and plastic-based and elastic fabric like those used for rainwear. These fabrics can’t stand heat, which is an important factor in placing an iron on patch.

Don’t Use Steam

Steam or mist from the iron will only add moisture to iron on patches. Being a form of water, steam will only get in the way of the glue’s effectiveness, which results in weak bonding to the fabric.

Press Steadily with Constant Pressure

The ironing motion includes moving the iron back and forth to straighten out wrinkles on clothes. However, patching only requires pressing against the patch to distribute heat evenly. Moreover, pressing back and forth will only affect patch placement. The patch may be displaced as you move and not hit the actual target.

Preheat Surface Padding

Aside from preheating the iron, preheat the surface padding where you’ll do the patching process. Heat from the padding plus the heat of the iron will melt the adhesive faster. This means your iron on patches will be in place in no time.

Let the Patch Cool Down

Don’t wear the newly patched clothes immediately. The freshly melted glue is very hot and can burn your skin. Second, you need to wait for the glue to dry completely. A cool patch is a sign that the glue is completely dry and the patch is fixed in place.

Turn Garments Inside Out for Washing

Washing patched clothes is easy, but keeping the patches in place together for a longer time after several washes is not. One of the ways to remedy this is to turn the garment inside out before washing. The washer and other clothes won’t get in contact with the patch, which may otherwise cause the patches to be torn out from the clothes.

Keep these points in mind and the iron on patches will stick in place for a long time. Furthermore, they also aid in ensuring easy patching and your safety at the same time.